Thank you for being a friend

Those words have been going through my head everyday - remember the theme song from Golden Girls?  The Golden Girls have been keeping me company every morning at 5am if and when I am up with Mia.  I haven't watched the show in years but I am enjoying it all over again.  Thankfully there is always an episode of one of the Real Housewives on throughout the night too, I can only watch so many infomercials.

The other night Mia slept 6 hours straight and I thought we were working our way to sleeping through the night, well I guess she was really tired that night because the past 2 nights she was up every 3 or 4 hours but we are working on it. 

We dressed Mia up in her Christmas best and took her to visit Santa and I have to say for a small town Wasaga Beach does up Santa's house pretty fancy.

cute picture too bad I don't know how
to use the camera and get rid of red eye!

Introducing little miss Mia

4 weeks ago Phil and I welcomed our beautiful little girl Mia Rose Jean Melanson.  She was born Nov. 10, 2011 in Collingwood at 10:52pm weighing 8lbs. 9oz.  I have tried to write a blog since she was born but as all new moms know there isn't too much down time in the beginning but I think we have found our groove now and she is giving me a bit more time to do a few things each day. 

I had to have an emergency c-section when she was born because her heart rate was dropping and she just wasn't handling the contractions very well.  I started contractions at around 8am that day but they were pretty manageable.  Once my water broke things went from about a 5-10 pretty quickly and once we got to the hospital I thought Phil was going to have to carry me in.  I was really only in "hard labour" for a half hour before I was told I needed a c-section.  Someone asked me if I was disappointed I didn't get to deliver naturally, my answer was not at all.  I know what hard contractions feel like and that was enough for me.  Some people may judge that but as long as she arrived safely and was healthy that's all that mattered to me.  I was very lucky with my recovery after the c-section which I think says alot about my doctor and the team that took care of me.  I was on my feet the next day walking around the hospital, slowly of course, but I feel great after just 4 weeks.


Mia is an amazing little wonder.  We picked her name when we first found out we were pregnant but we were both sure we were having a boy so when they said "it's a girl" we wanted to sit on the name a bit because we had a few more that we liked but we went with our original choice.  Rose is Phil's mom and Jean is my mom, who were both there in the waiting room when she was born.  The plan was for them to be in the delivery room and that's the only reason I wish it had not been a c-section because I know they were both excited to be a part of it.  But they held her just minutes after she was born and came every day to the hospital to help and let Phil go home and sleep.

It is amazing how much a baby changes everyday.  Mia weighs 10lbs, 12 oz now so she is growing quickly!  She smiles alot and is starting to look around at the lights and definately knows our voices.  She is a great baby during the day, just eats and chills out takes a few naps, however around 7pm she starts the fussy time until she goes to bed.  We are still trying to get her clock turned around.  When I was pregnant most of her movement was from 7-1am and she is still the same. 

The sweetest thing for both Phil and I is to see our dads with her.  They love their little grandaughter.

Grandpa Henderson

Grandpappy Melanson

I caved today and gave her a soother.  She started to discover her thumb and while she would suck it she would be scratching her eyes with the other fingers.  I also didn't want her to get into the habit of sucking the thumb so I went with the soother.  It's an wonderful little thing that makes everything better.  I don't know why I feel guilty for giving it to her because it's a natural instict for a baby to want to suckle to sooth themselves and when we first brought her home we mistook that need for her being hungry which is probably why she is almost 11 lbs now!  But it makes her happy and make the evenings a bit easier for everyone.  I just don't want it to be a crutch and let her have it all the time which is why I was afraid to introduce it at all.

First play date with Kyler Martin

She is our miracle and we are loving every day with her.  She has her daddy wrapped around her little finger and I am so lucky that Phil helps so much which gives me a break once in awhile.  I hope to blog more often and always keep updated with pictures. 



4 weeks old

Pregnancy Review

Before pregnancy and all the baby talk I used to review new movies or the books I had just read.  My reading list has changed quite a bit with "Baby Wise" and "Baby Whisperer" on the go right now.  I'm not done yet so I can't review them but I thought I would give a review on pregnancy.

The first trimester, meaning the first 3 months, is a mixed bag of emotions.  You don't really feel pregnant yet and it can be a scary time if you are having any complications.  I had two miscarriages prior to this pregnancy so I felt like I was on pins and needles all the time just praying this one would be ok.  I started seeing my OB every month because of my history and the good thing was she did a heartbeat check every visit, probably to ease my nerves.  However before each appointment I felt completely sick to my stomach because I was so nervous we would get bad news again.  But there it was each month, a beautiful little heart beating strong.  I was blessed to avoid the morning sickness but I didn't make it past 8pm many nights so I was kind of a bummer to hang out with.

Once I hit the fourth month it was a new world!  I had a burst of energy, we were finally able to start sharing the news with everyone which brought a new excitement to being pregnant.  I phased into the maternity pants which are the best things every invented!  I started to feel baby movements for the first time which always helped ease my mind that everything was ok when I felt the little one moving.  I saw women at the doctors office who were at the end of their pregnancy who looked so uncomfortable and I was still strutting around, not waddling yet, and feeling good, that lasted until about the 8th month and then everything changed!

By month 8 I noticed a huge difference, not only in the size of my growing belly, but just in my ability to function daily.  The waddle was in full effect, my husband had to help me off the couch and give me a little push out of bed in the morning to get me moving.  Just rolling from side to side at night sleeping became an olympic sport.  As the weeks went on the swelling of the feet and ankles set in and I came home from work with full on cankles and it wasn't pretty.  I was hot all the time, even just sitting still and my biggest challenge of the day was putting my socks on.

Now I just have 2 weeks left until d-day.  I see now why women say they are just ready because you get to the point where you want your body back and be able to function normally again.  At the same time I have really enjoyed all these ups and downs of being pregnant, the good and the bad so I think I will miss it a bit.  I have loved feeling all the movement and kicks, even when it's digging into my ribs and I can't breathe....it's all a miracle and a gift.  I still can't believe there is a little person in there who I love so much already but haven't even met yet.  I thank God everyday for this blessing and as we have written on the nursery wall "Every good and perfect gift is from above."

Countdown continues

Just 4 more weeks to go until baby time.  My bags are packed, the nursery is ready.  I have been so blessed and loved being pregnant but i'm ready to meet the little one.  Maybe it will be sooner than 4 weeks but he/she seems to like it in there so who knows, I just pray for healthy happy baby!

Would Martha Be Proud?

Throughout my pregnancy as I shared little milestones with my mommy friends I would always here "make sure you put that in your baby book!"  I started to realize I was a bad mommy to be because I had no purchased said "baby book" yet so I figured I better get on that so my kid doesn't end up in therapy because I didn't track every step of my pregnancy for him or her.
They have fancy ones you can buy where you just fill in the info and add pictures, I didn't really want to keep record of how much weight I had gained every month so I decided to just get a blank scrap book and make my own.  I am in no way shape or form a scrapbooker so my intention was not to create some fancy book.  My plan was to just put in some pictures and titles so we have something to look back on.
Now that I look at it this book is the opposite of anything that is crafty.  It's got the ultra sound photos, some other little milestones, pictures of the nursery etc. but it's kind of embarrassing how plain it actually is.  I need a crafty intervention.  But I have never had the desire to do crafts or be crafty, the perfection and preciseness of it all stresses me out.
The bottom line and what I will tell my child is that mommy tried her best and that's all you can ask of anybody.

Pretty Woman

Toddlers & Tiaras on TLC upsets me.  Kids grow up so fast as it is and now parents are rushing it along and throwing them into this pageant world that doesn't seem right.  It's a new low when a mom is dressing her 3 year old like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, and we all know what her "profession" was in that movie.  Sherri Shepherd on "The View" hit the nail on the head.

I've fallen and I can't get up

I have reached a point of pregnancy where my mobility just isn't what it used to be.  I don't like asking for help, I'm a do-it-myself kind of girl after being single for so many years and owning my home I've learned to just manage for myself.  Being pregnant, especially in the beginning, you can't lift anything and you have to take it easy which required me to ask for a lot of help.  I especially got a few weird looks around the office asking for help lifting little things because no one knew I was pregnant yet and I always just do it myself, now all of a sudden I'm a wimpy girl.  I can't do laundry until my husband gets home to carry it up and down the stairs for me, he's caught on now to just do it himself when he's not working.....I like this trick :)

With all that said last night I reached a new level of helplessness.  I dropped my cell between the couch cushions and it's a lazy boy couch so it went right to the floor.  I got down on my hands and knees to retrieve it and realized that getting back up just wasn't going to happen.  I called for my husband who had to come and lift me up off the ground.

I have to let go of my pride and realize that it's ok to ask for help and not try to do everything myself, not just for my own sake but for the sake of the little one I have been protecting in there for 7 months.  So now I will embrace it and sit on my lilly pad and have everyone do everything for me!

The Babymoon

The Babymoon is the new "in thing" for first time expectant parents.  A last chance to get away for a couple days while it's still just the 2 of you and your life is turned upside down, in a good way of course.

So my husband and I attempted a babymoon to Niagra Falls last week.  We booked a nice hotel right on the falls with a great view and walking distance to everything and shuttle service, what more could we ask for.  Well air conditioning would be nice.  We arrived at the hotel which was jam packed so it must be a good place right?  Our room was good, even had a TV in the bathroom which I loved!  Floor to ceiling windows with a sitting area to enjoy the view of the falls.  We were hungry and luckily they had some nice expensive snacks, $5 for a mini can of pringles, basically $1 per pringle but i'm pregnant and I needed to eat!

With all that said I noticed that the room was kind of stuffy, the temperature said it was set at 60 degrees so shouldn't we be freezing right now?  Eventually when the sun went down the room cooled down a bit but not too much and at 7 months pregnant you already are hot like an oven on the coldest of days so I didn't have the best sleep.  The next morning the air flow had just stopped all together.  We got moved to another room that felt better but when we walked in the bed was clearly broken as well as the couch in the sitting area, didn't anyone else notice this?  So we moved again.  Nothing broken but the so called AC sounded like Niagra Falls itself, you could hear the water trickling through it.  Again 7 months pregnant with a weak bladder already, I don't need to hear water trickling all day and night.  But at this point it was this room or we were finding a new place to stay so we dealt with it.  For the troubles I got to go to the spa for a pedicure and we enjoyed a nice plate of chocolate covered strawberries.  Too bad the spa had no AC either, it's summer people turn the air on!

Well it turns out this hotel really doesn't have AC they are basically fans or "chillers" which really do nothing for cooling your room down.  Keeping the blinds closed help but then you don't get to enjoy the view of the falls that you are paying all that money for!  My poor husband felt so bad that it wasn't the babymoon he had planned but we had some good food, some quality time together and he proved to everyone how strong he was at a game outside a pavillion, sledge hammer something, amyway the guy who ran the game bragged he finally got to 98 after a lot of work, my husband hit 125 on his first shot - that's my man!

Living in chaos

Last year my husband and I did some small renovations in our kitchen.  Phil got rid of the 80's backsplash and did some drywall and painting and we had all the cabinests re-painted.  It wasn't a huge reno but it felt like one because it was a mess everywhere and when you don't have your kitchen for several days you feel lost.

We are at it again but this time downstairs getting ready for baby.  The 2 spare bedrooms downstairs have that lovely fake panel wood so we have are having the rooms drywalled and painted.  We had to pull all the furniture out of both rooms which now makes our downstairs a disaster area!  Everything is dusty and out of order and it drives me crazy.  One a good day I can't stand being unorganized and things a mess.  When you're almost 7 months pregnant and ready to start nesting it heightens the stress another 50%.  There is light at the end of the tunnel as hopefully the painting will get done today and I can start the cleaning and organizing process.  I have never been so happy to clean anything in my life!

A Day at Baby's R Us

My husband and I basically moved in to Baby's R Us on Saturday.  We compiled our list at home of everything we could possibly need for the baby.  We spent 3 1/2 hours with Kathy our amazing sales person picking out the specific kind of everything we need for baby.  I have to say that Kathy was awesome and so patient with us.  She's a mom and a grandma and has worked there for years so she was an amazing help to these first time parents who were clueless on how to fold up a playpen. 

The one thing I haven't decided on yet is a type of bottle.  There were just so many so i'm calling on all you mother's out there to help me.  What bottles did you use and what worked and what didn't?  There's so many brands and styles so i'm seeking some advice!  Please leave a comment!

Breaking Tradition

I have discovered that planning to have a baby is like planning a wedding all over again.  Everyone has an opinion and you can't please everyone.  I broke a few traditions when I got married and it was controversy!  I had candy centre pieces instead of flowers - shocking!  We didn't have a wedding cake instead we did a big desser buffet with a chocolate fountain - scandelous!  We gave the first dance of the night to our parents as a tribute to them and their marriages - WHAT!  I would like to point out that I specifically didn't tell my mom we weren't having a cake to avoid the drama and do you know that she never even noticed!  That's the thing about these so called traditions, if you don't do it odds are no one's going to walk away complaining that you didn't have a cake. 
Now as I am getting closer to baby time and talks of baby showers have begun it all starts over again.  "You want to have the shower before the baby is born?  You can't do that!"  I realize that yes everyone likes to meet the baby at baby showers but my baby is due mid-November, it would be mid-December before I would probably be up for a shower and that seems unfair to guests to do something like that so close to Christmas.  I'm not going to go into hiding with the baby, everyone's going to get a chance to meet the baby when it's born. 
So i'm going to do what I did with my wedding and break tradition and have the showers before the baby....hopefully people still come! 

From This Moment On

"From This Moment On" - big hit single from Shania Twain and the title of her autobiography.  I just finished the book which I read as I also watched her show "Why Not?" on the Oprah Winfrey Network.  Shania is Canada's sweetheart - a title she shares with Celine Dion I guess, but her true life rags to riches story has been one she has shared for years but her book goes into greater detail about her life growing up and getting her start in country music. 

She endured a rough childhood to say the least including poverty and domestic abuse.  After losing her parents at a young age Shania took over taking care of the family and moved everyone from Timmins to Huntsville to work at Deerhurst resort and eventually becoming the country superstar we know her as now.  Her journey was an interesting one as she battled record executives to write her own music and have more creative force behind her image. 

The book also deals with the sad end to her marriage to husband Mut Lang who was also her co-writer and producer for her albums.  She is in a happier place now recently re-married and starting to fire up her music career again, she has signed up to headline in Las Vegas in 2012.

I love biographies and Shania was truly honest about her life, her struggles and the depression that comes with divorce.  I was surprised to read the stories of some of her homes even later in life and how she roughed it in a house in Huntsville with no running water.  It's not what you expect from someone like her, but Shania is just the image that we have known for the past 10 years, it was Eileen, her real name who roughed it and it sounds like even the Eileen/Shania now is happiest back in nature how she grew up.

http://books.simonandschuster.ca/From-This-Moment-On/Shania-Twain/9781451620740

You Love Me Anyway

I'm filling in on the air for AJ today as they get ready for the arrival of their baby Wonderdog anytime now.  I'm taking this quiet time in the studio and really listening to the words of the music.  The music of LIFE 100.3 pumps through our offices all day long but when you're working it's easy to kind of tune it out.  I just played the Sidewalk Prohets "You Love Me Anyway" - i sat back and listened and WOW what a reality check.  All the wrongs I have done, sadness I may have caused God when I turned away instead of turning to Him when I needed Him the most and yet He loves me anyway.  It's a promise that we all need to be reminded of.  If He loves us through all the garbage how can we not give Him everything?

Did you feel that!?!?

Disclaimer:  The majority of my blogging will probably be about pregnancy these days because it's the biggest thing in my life right now - literally so I apologize if you are rolling your eyes, "here she goes again" kind of thing.

I'm 21 weeks pregnant now and i've been feeling the baby move since about week 17.  Just rolling or twisting but not until this week i have I felt more defined kicks and punches.  Nothing too hard or painful yet but I can definately feel it.  My husband has been anxiously waiting for when he gets to feel the baby seeing as I have been talking about it for weeks.  Last night there was quite a bit of kicking so I got his hand in position and we sat still and quiet and waited for the big moment....then pow there it was and we both said at the same time "did you feel that?!?!?"  It was probably the hardest kick i've felt and I was so excited for my husband that he got to feel it, it was quite a bonding moment for him to feel our baby moving around.  Even though I hear it gets uncomfortable i'm looking forward to more kicks and punches from the little one!

20 down 20 to go

I have hit the halfway point with baby Melanson, 20 weeks down and 20 more to go until we meet our little one.  I had my 20 week ultra sound and we did NOT want to find out if it was a boy or a girl and even if we had wanted to know the baby wasn't showing off the info, a modest little one already.

I have been very blessed to have a smooth sailing pregnancy so far.  Not really sick in the beginning, although very tired.  I had an energy spurt after I hit 12 weeks where I was feeling great, ready to stay up late and have a life again.  That seems to have come to an end seeing as I was in bed at 6pm last night because I couldn't keep my eyes open.  I slept for a couple hours, got up for America's Got Talent and Cake Boss and back to bed I went. 

Sleeping has become an interesting task as I try to find a comfortable position which usually depends on how the baby is sitting.  The baby seems to like to sleep all day and party all night so as I fall asleep it decides to do some gymanstics and I have to find a new position to sleep in.  I am not complaining at all because I find it all so exciting.  I still can't believe there is a baby in there keeping me up and not just something I ate.  I'm loving all the movements but it's starting to set in that in 20 weeks it has to come out.......not sure how I feel about that part yet! 

Boy or Girl?

In a couple weeks I will have my next ultra sound, and it's the big one, we can find out if we are having a boy or a girl.  Phil and decided a long time ago that we want the surprise in the delivery room so we are going to opt out of the option at the ultra sound.  It's so funny to see people's reaction when we tell them we're NOT finding out.  I guess with the option now it's just assumed everyone would want to find out. 

Deep down of course I would like to know ahead of time.  I can plan a pink or blue room and start the babies wardrobe.  But there is something exciting about finding out in the moment of the babies birth.  I have a nice neutral plan for the room and then I can add touches of blue or pink when the time comes.  As for clothes, i'll get a few things to get me started and then i'll let the grandma's do some shopping and when the babies born.  We have a name for either already to go we just need he or she to arrive.

My mom thinks we will cave in the ultra sound room and end up finding out.  I'm the kid that opened that snooped through the house looking for my Christmas gifts, even opening them and re-wrapping when my parents weren't hope.  So she thinks there is no way I can wait for this surprise.  However i'm older and wiser now, once she said that to me now i'm determined not to give in just to prove that I can stick to my guns.  Challenge accepted mom!

The trip that wasn't meant to be

At the end of January my husband and I booked my dream vacation to the Myan Riviera in Mexico.  I had never done the all inclusive trip before and after a couple jam packed touristy trips it was time for the relaxing vacation on the beach.  We got an amazing deal on a 5 star resort and I couldn't wait.  I had to wait until the beginning of May to go but I knew it would be well worth the wait.

At the end of February we got the exciting news that we were going to have a baby!  There was no immediate concern about going on the trip but on and off for the first few months I had some complications.  As the trip got closer my doctor recommended I not travel and cancel the trip.  This is one of those times that you obviously take your doctors advice very seriously.  We cancelled the trip and I stayed home and rested.  I threw myself a pitty party the first few days at home thinking about how I could be on a beach reading or in the pool.  This was going to be our last hoora before we start our family and travelling becomes very different.  Obviously a very selfish moment on my part forgetting the bigger picture here and God brought me quickly back to the heart of the matter.

We are over the moon about our little bundle and this was our first decision as parents to protect our child.  Surely there will be many more moments like this when we give up something for our child, that's part of being parents. 

I am so excited about this journey into motherhood and so grateful for God's blessing on our family!

Good-bye My Friend

Today in a beautiful pink dress Oprah Winfrey took her last walk across the stage of her show after 25 years.  I will be 35 this year and for the past at least 20 years of my life the Oprah show has been a part of it.  I can't say that i've seen every single show Oprah has done, i went to school and work, but when i got a VCR and then the PVR I was able to catch most of the shows.  I realize that everyone has a different opinion of Miss O and i've heard them all and everyone is entitled to their opinion. 

This is why I have admired Oprah for many years, here is a woman from the back woods of Mississippi who came from nothing, the poorest of poor, and look at what she has done.  And it's not all about the money and the fame.  First of all she is probably the richest woman in the world but also the most philanthropic.  She is an ambassador for education.  Through grants and scholarships provided through her show she has educated over 64,000 children.  She has opened the dialogue for issues that were never spoken about, abuse, drug addiction, body image and brought us real people with real stories that could touch our lives.

If I were to write out my "bucket list" being in the audience at the Oprah should would have been on the top of the list and I never did it.  I've been to The View & Regis & Kelly but I never thought I would have a shot at Oprah tickets all these years so I never really tried.  And one thing I should have learned from Oprah all these years is you can do anything and I didn't even take her advice to get to her show!  I will kick myself for awhile on that one.

There were no guests today, no surprises, no cars or trips, just Oprah, the stage and her look back on 25 years.  After today there will be no more calling your girlfriends "did you see Oprah today?"  For many husbands i'm sure that comes as a blessing. 

For years people have questioned Oprah's faith, today she made it very clear.  I am rewinding my PVR so that I can quote what she said about what she believes.

"Nothing but the hand of God has made this possible for me.  For all of you who get riled up when I mention God and you want to know which God I'm talking about, I'm talking about the Alpha and the Omega, the Omniscient, the Omnipresent, the ultimate consciousness, the source the force of everything and all there is, the one and only G-O-D - that's the one I'm talking about.  I know I have never belone and you haven't either, that presence that flow, some people call it grace, is working in my life at every single turn and yours too if you let it in.  It's closer than your breath and it is yours for the asking.  I have felt the presend of God my whole life even when I didn't have a name for it I could feel the voice bigger than myself speaking to me and we all can hear that same voice, be still and know it.  You can acknowledge it or not, you can worship it or not, you can praise it or ignore it or you can know it.  Know it, it's always there, speaking to you and waiting for you to hear it."

Until we meet again Oprah, thanks for the memories. 

A Place of Yes

One of my guilty pleasure TV shows is the "Real Housewives" franchise, specifically New York.  I love NYC in general and I get hoot out of these women.  Bethenny Frankel was one of the cast members and branched out into her own show.  I was always interested in her story because she didn't have the greatest of childhoods and upbringings and managed to rise above it all and become quite a successful business woman and I love stories like that.  She used the reality shows to get her name and brand out there and it worked.  She is a natural foods chef and started her brand by writing Naturally Thin and help women stop the dieting craze, learn to just eat right, eat proper proportions but also not to deny yourself.  That booked launched Bethenny's career.  She tried many times before but never gave up.  I really enjoyed reading her story in her latest book "A Place of Yes" and how she let go of the past and made a choice to not let her past define her.  At a certain age alot of women would give up on having that career if it hadn't happened for them yet.  Bethenny didn't give up and it didn't happen for her until later in life.  It all happened for her at once too, her career exploded, she got married and had a baby girl.  These are all thing she had wanted for years and they finally happened, good things come to those who wait. 

She's a strong woman and I admire that about her.  I definately related to her stories as a newlywed getting married later in life and that adjustment to living with someone after being single for so long, it's a whole new world! 
http://books.simonandschuster.com/Place-of-Yes/Bethenny-Frankel/9781439186909

The Memory Palace

I just finished "The Memory Palace" by Mira Bartok.  This book caught my eye because of the underlying story of forgiveness between two daughters and their mother.  Every family has their issues and it's painful to see families torn apart and not speaking but stories like this shows that there is hope for every family to find a way back to each other.

Mira and her sister were raised in a stressful family to say the least.  Once a musical prodigy, their mother suffered from schizophrenia and to escape they went to play at their grandparents house who were a pair to be reckoned with as well.  Mira seemed to get dragged into all the family drama while her sister lived in a world of make believe and seemed oblivious to it all.  As the girls entered college the stress of their mothers disease became too much for them.  She harrassed them and threatened to kill herself if they didn't come home.  The girls had to make a choice and cut themselves off from their mother.  They changed their names and disappeared.  Mira kept a post office box and continued to write her mother without ever revealing where she had moved to.

The book is a back and forth between life now for the girls and glimpses back to their lives growing up.  When Mira received word that her mother was ill and dying the girls went to be by her side in the hospital.  They found keys to a storage unit that their mother had filled over the years and was full of their childhood memories.  Toys, letters, photos that their mother had kept which brought their memories flooding back to them.

Somewhere in all of this the girls find forgiveness and realization of how their mother was robbed of her life by schizophrenia and as a reader you see the real effects of this disease on the person and their family.  They will never get those years back but at the end of their mother's life there was peace and hope for anyone else who needs to find that peace within themselves and their family.

http://books.simonandschuster.ca/Memory-Palace/Mira-Bartok/9781439183311

Not such a lady

Lady Gaga seems to be this generations Madonna.  Trying to always push the envelope and shock everyone with her videos, lyrics or live show.  I heard Lady Gaga's new song today called "Judas".  The chorus repeats over and over that she's in love with Judas....you know the guy who betrayed Christ...."Jesus is my virtue, and Judas is the demon I cling to.  I’m just a holy fool…oh baby he’s so cruel, but I’m still in love with Judas, baby"  We shouldn't be shocked because we've seen this before with Madonna.....remember "Like a Prayer"?


But sadly these very uninspiration lyrics are from someone who is topping the mainstream charts and influencing millions of people who buy her albums and flock to her shows.  We always need to pray for these artists who are such a huge influence on this generation of young people and keep praying for the Christian artists that they would stay strong in this business and keep giving us great music that can inspire us. 


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Maple Syrup time!

I've been seeing the commercials on TV for all the maple syrup festivals and sugar bush tours so we decided to check one out this weekend.  It was in Utopia between Barrie & Angus at the Tiffin Conservation Park.  I had no idea it even existed but the place was packed so apparantly i'm the only one in the dark.  You get a tour of how Maple Syrup is made, tapping the trees etc. and a full breakfast with the homemade maple syrup which was delicious! 


I was excited for the petting zoo, I love all the furry animals.  Well when we got there it was not a furry animal petting zoo, more like reptiles and bugs which I don't love.  My husband put his fears aside and got involved - I stepped back to take pictures and then left immediately because there was a large tarantula being passed around.

The Swans

Last summer I enjoyed feeding the Swan that stopped by our dock every once in awhile.  My husband actually fed it by hand, I got a little scared getting that close but it was pretty amazing.  This past Saturday I was looking out the window and there was the Swan swimming by with not one but TWO more swans.  I grabbed my camera, cell phone and bag of bread and ran down to the dock.  By the time I got there there were down the river a bit but when they saw me they literally turned around and came back, they must have remembered me!

Here they are swimming back to me!

The water around our dock is still frozen so they had to climb up on the ice to walk over to me.  You don't realize how big these swans are until they are walking toward you.  They definately had no fear of me but they closer they got I had a little bit of fear.  I was outnumbered, 3 of them and just me.  I was trying to feed them quickly, take pictures and call my husband to hurry and get home to see this! 

No zoom necessary this is how close they came up!



All 3 of them coming for their snack.



The ducks are back!

I was sitting in my living room yesterday checking out the view of the river which for the past few months has been pretty boring.  There's no activity out there, just snow.  With the milder weather the ice has started to melt and break down on the river and the ducks have returned.  They aren't too close to our property yet but I can see them swimming around out in the middle of the river.  It was my sign that spring is just around the corner which was so exciting! 

Oh Charlie

The Charlie Sheen drama that has been all over the TV the past couple weeks is entertaining to some and heart breaking to others.  I find it heartbreaking.  Sheen right now is like watching a speeding train just waiting to derail.  Some might think he has already derailed but I think the worst is yet to come. 

Sheen has struggled publically over the years with addiction.  But his behavior during interviews has been more and more disturbing.  I'm sure Charlie has enablers in his life when it comes to drugs and alcohol but I think the media are his enablers when it comes to his behavior.  And the crazier he acts the more popular he becomes. 

He joined twitter last week and had 100,000 followers before he even sent out his first tweet, he reaced a million followers in just days.  Two and Half Men was the most watched show on TV last week and it was a repeat.  So now his "fans" are his enablers because they are entertained by his antics.

Warner Brothers officically fired him from the show and he celebrated.  Not too many people celebrate about being unemployed but it just brings more attention to him. 

Sheen is a son and a father.  I'm afraid when this train derails Charlie's life will just be a memorial.  It's so sad to see someone so lost and out of control when God could change everything for him.

From pro-choice to pro-life

I just finished the book "Unplanned" by Abby Johnson.  For 8 years she worked with Planned Parenthood in Texas.  She had justified it to herself for years because of the other services Planned Parenthood provided and she believed their goal was to see the number of abortions descrease by informing women.  They did provide abortions because they believed if they didn't women would go somewhere else that was dangerous and unsafe.  Abby was very passionate about her role with Planned Parenthood, becoming the Director of her clinic in Bryan Texas.  She was a Christian, went to church on Sunday's, but kept what she did for a living private, again justifying to herself that she was helping women.  Pro-life advocates lined the fence of her clinic daily praying for the women that went through the doors, and praying for Abby that God would open her eyes.  He did just that when she was called in to assist with a ultrasound guided abortion.  She was asked to help with the ultra sound machine.  This day changed her life.  She saw first hand that this really is a baby who is moving and fighting to live.  That day she walked out of Planned Parenthood and crossed the fence literally and joined the pro-life movement.

Her decision became major headlines in the US and has opened a new door of opportunity for her to speak for pro-life.  Her life was totally changed and her story is amazing to read.  I definately recommend it!

 

Never Say Never

So I got a case of Bieber fever and went to see "Never Say Never" today.  I dragged a friend with me who asked to remain nameless...I think she was a little embarrassed to be there, I went in the name of research!

I have to say that I really enjoyed the movie.  I knew bit about Justin's journey but it was cool to see the whole story come together.  The story takes us through his journey up to his big sold out show at Madison Square Garden.  I had thought going into that Justin was a kid who got lucky.  He was discovered on youtube and then 2 years later he's a superstar.  That's all true but he did work hard to get there. 

A manager in Atlanta Georgia saw his youtube videos and flew his mom and him to Atlanta to meet with producers.  Several record labes said no to him, who i'm sure are kicking themselves now.  He got a chance to sing for Usher who took him to L.A. Reid and he got signed.  He traveled all through the States to push his first single.  He sang acoustic at every radio station he could to get them to play his single.  He would get 50 people out to see him, then 100 then more and more and then the mania began.  His story is proof of the popularity of social networking.  Youtube made him famous, twitter and facebook helped spread his popularity.

The back story is his family.  His mom was just a teenager herself when she had Justin and his grandparents had a huge role in his life which is obvious when you see them all together.  His mom is always with him and his grandparents are there as much as they can.  His mom and dad didn't stay together and it doesn't look like his dad goes on the road with them.  He wasn't interviewed during the movie but we see him at Justin's Toronto show, his first time seeing the show, and I can't imagine what it would be like to see your son up there performing.  You could see the emotion all over his face.  Justin's other family is the team behind him.  The movie gives a good look at who helps with his career and it seems like he is in good hands.  His vocal coach is like a second mom, his manager and road manager take up the role of big brothers and by all accounts, yes everyone is making money from his success, but they all take good care of him.

Justin's Christianity and faith has been a big topic around LIFE lately and it's evident in the movie.  Seeing people pray before a performance doesn't always convince me because even Madonna prays before her shows.  But you see Justin saying grace at a restaurant with his friends when he's back home visiting Stratford, his mom praying over him when he was sick.  So I felt it was genuine and obviously God is an important part of their lives.  There is a clip of his mom on Huntley St. just before they moved to the States to persue Justin's career. 

The movie is 3D which was cool and there are several concert performances around the documentary part of the movie.  This kid is talented, he's not just another bubble gum pre-packed artist.  He plays drums, guitar, piano and is a great singer.  I think his fans will grow up with him and stick with him, but if in a few years Bieber fever goes away what an amazing time in his life to look back on, he lived the dream.

The falling star

Billy Ray Cyrus has an achy breaky heart again.  He's talking to GQ magazine this month about the break up within his family and the behaviour of his daughter Miley.  He blames the Hannah Montana franchise for the problems in his family.  His marriage has ended and Miley has started acting out a bit in public and is slowly on the Britney Spears train of destruction.

The fall of the teen star is nothing new to this generation.  When I was a kid it was the Brat Pack and the 2 Corey's - Feldman and Haim who shot to success only to fall just as fast when the partying the started.  For some they can never get past it.  Corey Haim died just last year from an overdose and Charlie Sheen....well we know what he's going through.  So why is Billy Ray surprised by all of this?  Instead of trying to help his daughter and protect her from business people who could be leading her astray he's spilling all their family laundry to a magazine.  That's definately not going to help put his family back together. 

Some have said that Justin Bieber has a timer on his back to when his destructive behavior begins.  So who is to blame?  The parents for letting their kids get caught up in this world and not controlling it more or US for buying into it all?

Keeping up with the Joneses

I watched an interesting movie over the weekend with David Duchovny and Demi Moore "The Joneses".  I'm not going to recommend the movie but the premise of it really got me thinking.  The Joneses are a fake family who are really sales people and actors place by a company in wealthy neighbourhoods.  Their job is to sell their lifestyle to the neighbours.  They have all the latest gadgets, newest cars, best clothes and beautiful home, they seem to have the perfect life to those around them.  That makes everyone around them want the same perfect life so they start buying everything the Joneses have.  The reality of trying to keep up with the Joneses is that the neighbours start going bankrupt with their new lifestyle.  So they can't really afford all the luxuries but their greed and jealousy prevail so they do whatever they can to have all the "stuff". 

After I watched the movie I started thinking about the truth behind it.  Maybe there aren't fake families out there (or maybe there are) but it's so easy to get consumed with "stuff" and material things, wanting more or wanting what the other guy has.  Look at companies like Apple who roll out new product all the time and people line up all night to be the first to have it.  We can become overpowered with that feeling of greed or want.

Imagine if we were as concerned about our salvation and relationship with God as we were about having the latest video game or iphone. 

Who is Ryan Seacrest?

My husband and I were talking over lunch and I was telling him about the Cake Boss new show called Kitchen Boss.  I said that Buddy must be taking a page from the Ryan Seacrest handbook and striking while the iron is hot - he's everywhere.  My husband said...wait for it...."who is Ryan Seacrest?"  There was probably 10 seconds of silence as I sat in shock.  What rock was he living under that he didn't know who Ryan Seacrest was?  I came to finally and said "the guy that hosts American Idol"  Phil says "oh yeah that guy".  I sometimes forget that my husband has no interest whatsoever in pop culture.  He likes the more hard hitting news shows or anything on the History channel.  Ask Phil about cars, UFC or anything about a furnace and he's your guy, but he wouldn't be able to name the American Idol judges.  He didn't even know that the show had new judges this year!  When we watched last week to the season premiere he said " what is Steven Tyler doing there?"  So it's very true that opposite's attract and that's is what makes it interesting.  We can each bring something different to the relationship.  He fixes stuff and I watch Access Hollywood while he's doing it. 

My husband the celebrity!

Most small towns have the family pizza place that has been in business forever.  In Bolton it's Baffo's.  My husband grew up in Bolton and a super cute photo of him eating at Baffo's as a kid made it to their wall when they did renovations.  When we ate their for dinner I couldn't resist another photo op. 

The Boss

Is Christmas really over?  I could live in that bubble forever!  I enjoyed a nice week off from work, did some post Christmas shopping and a few movies here and there.  This year we exchanged alot of gift cards, they make the most sense and saves on returning everything you didn't like.  My husband hit the nail on the head when he got me the book written by The Cake Boss - Buddy Valastro.  I love the show, i love the crazy wild family and the characters and I love reading about people's stories.  Here is a guy who is a New Jersey baker one day and a famous person the next - how did it all happen?  I'm almost done the book and have thoroughly enjoyed it.  I can hear Buddy's voice when I read all the different stories and it's amazing how at just 17 when his father passed away he had to step in and take over the family business and then took it to a whole new level with the popularity of the show.  My husband and I visited the bakery on our holiday's in October, yes that's how much i love the show.  As i'm readying the book and all the talk of cakes and cookies I just want to eat a red velvet cake by myself while i'm reading!  It's a great book so if you love the show you should read it.


In other news and this is a total plug for LIFE 100.3, but now that our hoodies are on sale to the public I knew they would make great Christmas gifts so these are some pics of my parents and my father-in-law enjoying their new gifts!